Peace Event

WE WELCOMED CAC PARTICIPANTS INTO THE
GARDEN FOR AN INTERACTIVE PROCESS ABOUT"P E A C E"WHAT IS IN A WORD?An invitation to dialogue and paint

World in the Cosmos

The Cultural Arts Coalition invited 30 interested people to attend a
dialogue and interactive creative processes workshop that asked ~ “What
is Peace? How may we envision a bridge to a better understanding of
Peace in our greater community?”

The event started Promptly at 10:00 AMPeace Dialog and Painting
This gathering is not about creating a new movement. Already we are all doing the work
of peace. Our act of coming together engages us with others who think critically and
act responsibly in a world that is at times paralyzed by non-peaceful acts.

Our collective intention is catalytic and exponential in its ability to create
and sustain an environment that supports peaceful action.

Together we explored the questions:

What does the word/image Peace mean to you personally?

What do you understand the word/image Peace to mean in your community?

How do you bring about Peace in your day to day life?

What is the opposite of the word/image Peace in your life?

What names/organizations come to mind when you think of Peace, locally or globally?

Peace – why do you want it?

Date: April 14th, Saturday—10:00 - 2:00 PM

Where: The Studio of Robert Miley, releasethefear.org
In the historic Roosevelt district, Phoenix, Arizona

Dialogue for Peace

May there be tranquility on Earth, on Water, in Fire, in the Wind, in the Sky, in the Sun, on the Moon,
on our Planet, in All Living Beings, in the Body, in the Mind and in the SPIRIT. May that tranquility be
everywhere and in everyone.Translated from an ancient Sanskrit Meditation

People were greeted at the gate leading into the garden to begin the thoughtful journey during the first half hour of the program.

Robert Miley, our host, continues to guide people inside.

Koi pond

One of the first guests takes the time to go through the questions provided in take home journals before he begins to answer them on large note pads.

Others who arrive early take the time just to enjoy the Sense of Place this garden provides.

Youth were also asked to attend the dialogue to give their valuable input.

As more and more people enter the garden there is time to greet old friends and meet new people.

People from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds participate in this event.

At approximately 10:40 the 30 participants divided into two groups to review and further discuss the 6 questions of the day. Melanie Ohm facilitated one group.

judy butzine continued on the other side of the garden to take 3 of the 6 questions and examine and further explore their answers.

During the day Brent Hirak is the photo journalist who captures the essence of the day’s occurrences.

This component of the questioning process lasted for about 45 minutes with people thoughtfully engaged in the responses and ongoing conversation.

People were then asked to create a colored image of the most peaceful moment in their lives. A white foam board section, 5” X 8”, was provided to draw upon.

Christina and Mikayla draw peace.

After about 10 minutes of creatively designing their visual interpretations, everyone gathered in groups of 3 people to share the story of the image they had created.

Then within each group participants shared the common themes within the drawings. This reflective process allowed each member to Remember, Reflect and then Respond upon a memory of PEACE one may have not thought about for many years.

Lunch time at High Noon.

Enjoying lunch

R.J. and Jak

Everyone had a chance to mingle and get to know one another or to enjoy old friends in the garden.

Meditation is essential to give us a point of purposeful focus. Sharon Stetter, yoga teacher, guided us all and reconnected us to the dialogue of peace following lunch.

Robert Miley and Melanie Ohm followed-up the meditation session with the introduction of the painting project. ALL were ready.

And so the painting process began…

Everyone took turns seeing through the Mylar canvas and at the same time seeing oneself in the reflective material as they painted.

The final result is a 4' X 15', two-sided communal piece that will be exhibited in the community with this story of all the processes included.

Melanie facilitated the concluding discussion. People were attentive and responded mindfully throughout the day.

Group photo of some very HAPPY faces

Comments over the next couple of days:

dear judy, robert and melanie,
thanks tremendously for the PEACE meeting we had yesterday.
i know everyone learned a few things. at least i did.
this is like word of mouth and people will talk about it to one another, so the awareness, and willing to discuss and listen is very important.
i met many interesting people and very glad to be a part of this process.
i also thank robert's partner and all the rest of the people who helped put this event together.
all the best,
mitra

Thank you Judy, Melanie and Robert for your coordinated efforts!
What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning!
Thank you for putting your commitment to creating sustainable, resilient communities of peace into action and reality!
annie loyd

Thanks to each of you and all who contributed to Saturday's event. I was blessed to be a part of the day.
I took what I experienced home to share with my husband and today I carried it with me to school.
Focusing on peace changes my perspective in the midst of what ever is happening.
I am pleased and excited to have been a part of honest dialogue and the receptivity to hear what each person expressed.
Dianne

Thanks for sharing some of the results of our day together. It was very meaningful and illuminating for me.
I heard things that surprised me, warmed me, disturbed me and uplifted me as well as things that I already knew
but had buried under all the demands of a busy life. I needed all of those things in a safe place. And how
wonderful to meet so many interesting, vibrant, thoughtful people, new ones most welcome, and old friends
always a delight to spend a few hours with instead of just a passing HI!. Thanks to all of you who made it
possible to happen, and those of you who shared your very, very precious time. We will meet again and bring
new faces. Esther Vandecar

Hi Judy, Robert and Melanie,
It was our big pleasure.
Thank YOU!!
See you soon for our next action.
Love & Respect
Ken Koshio

Dear Judy, Melanie, Robert and all friends,
Saturday was a magical day for Arizona, the US, Mother Earth and the Cosmic Consciousness.
We came together in peace, created more peace, and went back to our homes and neighborhoods with heightened awareness of who we are and how we relate to all of Creation...in peace.

Today we are being invited to be the leaders who will hold peace as an organizing principle in society.
We write to our Senators and Congressional Representatives with 2 messages:
1-support the creation of a cabinet level Department of Peace in the federal government;
2-so that we evolve even sooner beyond the violence that took 33 lives today at Virginia Tech University.

We are working together for solutions...thank you for your commitment to inner peace, planetary peace, cosmic peace.
Hugs of peace...Terri

Canvas

Good evening or good night to All,
Thank you for a wonderful day and would like to share a small little reminder on our journey; many dreams.
The hardest thing to do is be honest with yourself. Asking yourself some key questions will lead you to some amazing discoveries, and possibly motivate you to do what it takes to create the life you envision for yourself. I suggest writing your (honest) answers to the following questions in a new journal for the new road map:

What makes you happy at work?

What makes you happy at home?

What makes you happy with your friends and family?

What makes you happy when you're by yourself?

What do you love to do?

What would you do with your life today if you weren't afraid of failure?

What's not working in your life?

What are you currently doing that prevents you from experiencing joy?

What's working in your life?

Who's not working in your life?

Who in your life is subtracting value from and adding misery to it?

Can you fix any of these relationships, or should you let them go from your life?

What relationships are working in your life?

If we were getting together one year from today, what would have to happen for you to be able to tell me that you now have more joy in your life?

What's the single most important thing you've learned about yourself as a result of answering these questions

You'll find that by putting your answers down on paper, they'll become clear more quickly and the actions you need to take more obvious and easier to initiate. Thuong

Peace is spoken in many languages. [Portugese]

Music used with permission by Keith Johnson
Sankofa/Island Magic
Arizona Roster Artist
Drummer/Percussionmodibol@juno.com